RLD chief Ajit Singh and Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday met home minister P Chidambaram seeking inclusion of Jats in the Central list of backward classes. Pointing out that the Jats are classified as a backward caste in many states like UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, the RLD chief asked: "why can't they be classified a backward class at the Centre"? It is a demand that has been there for a long time and it is a just demand. How come that Jats are backward in Noida but not in Delhi (Centre)?" he asked while talking to reporters after the meeting.
Stating that they had conveyed to Chidambaram the demand to expedite the process for Jat reservation, Digvijay Singh said: "The demand for reservation for Jats is an old one and in states where Jats are declared backward in the state lists, they are not so in the Central list." Giving examples of other states where Jats are listed as backward in the state list but not in the Central government list, he said: "Both the RLD and the Congress party have supported the demand to include Jats in the central list. The problem is that the Backward Class Commission had rejected this demand". The Congress leader said: "The home minister has listened to our demand and said that as soon as the Commission submits a report a decision will be taken."